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Most MSPs and vCISOs aren't chasing Fortune 500 logos; and they don't need to.
The average Managed Service Providers (MSPs), vCISO, and security engineer focuses on small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which often lack dedicated IT security teams. This makes them prime targets for cyber threats. And the truth is your MSP is a 3rd party with access to your clients systems (meaning you should be getting pentests on yourself). These organizations rely on you, their MSP, to guide them
How can you gain clients and more importantly their trust? Often clients who need education on cyber threats or may even be ignorant to fact they have them. Vulnerability scanning isn’t just a service but can be used as a sales tool. When you show an SMB decision-maker a clear, prioritized list of real-world exposures in their environment, the conversation shifts from “Do we need this?” to “How fast can we start fixing this?”.
For skeptical clients or limited budgets, a vuln scan creates urgency without the sticker shock of a full pen test. Think of it as the X-ray before the surgery.
Known Vulnerabilities Are Still the #1 Threat
It’s not zero-days taking down most SMBs it’s known CVEs they haven’t patched.
According to ServiceNow, 60% of breaches are linked to vulnerabilities that had patches available for over a year.
That’s your in. Use scanning to highlight what’s already exposed, then use pentesting to validate and escalate. For budget conscious SMBs, nothing beats fixing the low hanging fruit.
Make Prioritization Part of the Pitch
Every scan should lead to a remidiation roadmap. Don’t bury clients in tech jargon. Show them what’s wrong and how to fix it.
Even better if your reporting can map vulnerabilities to compliance requirements or operational risk. Risk assessments and control frameworks are a great start even if your client has not thought about SOC2, HIPAA, ISO, etc.
Once you do a vulnerability scan or have a client in need of a pentest; you as the MSP will then come in and perofrm the remidiation.
At MSP Pentesting, our services go beyond checkboxes. We blend:
- CIS Benchmarks for secure cloud configuration (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- OWASP Top 10 to catch the most common web app risks
- Live CVE exploitation testing to confirm what’s truly exposed
- Threat intel from active attacker forums to track what’s being exploited now—not last year
We deliver more than just reports. We show what attackers would actually do and how to stop it.
Overcome SMB Cyber Apathy
Many SMB clients still think antivirus and firewalls are “good enough.”
That’s where vulnerability scanning can make a difference. It makes risk real. If you’re getting resistance, don’t argue just show your client the proof.
Your job isn’t to scare them. It’s to make risk visible enough that they’re willing to act.
Want to win bigger deals and protect your clients better?
Start every engagement with a scan that proves your worth and graduate them to pentesting that hardens their defenses.
MSP Pentesting helps MSPs sell smarter, protect faster, and grow stronger.
Let’s get to work.
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